Its only like 18 more bhp than what is in the 3.0 now... I guess the TQ would help though.

No...no...no. I'm talking about the N54 tt (gas) engine, not the turbo diesel. It's the same N54 engine in the 335i and the 535i...you know, 300+BHP/300+TQ. It only makes sense (since the X5 3.0 weighs almost 5,000 lbs. and needs more power), but the question is when...MY '08 or '09?

Everyone knows the N54 is making more then 300 bhp + Euro Tuner is saying this will be a tuned version of the N54 putting out more HP then the 335.

OMG. I'm fully aware that it makes more HP/TQ than on paper; I have a 335i and my car dyno'd stock @ 265 WHP / 286 lb.-ft. RWTQ before my XEDE install; now I have the PROcede in my 335i. I'm at ~ 322 WHP / 378 lb.-ft. RWTQ (which is what my car dyno'd at after the XEDE install...PROcede should be about the same or higher).

All I want to know is if BMW will drop this engine into the '08 X5 3.0 or wait another year for the MY '09 X5 3.0?

That doesn't really have anything to do with it; although the E92 335i Coupe got a major facelift and got the N54 F/I tt engine, the E90 335i Sedan also received the same N54 engine and it didn't have much of a facelift at all between MY '06 and MY '07...the '07 E90 335i Sedan it looks nearly identical to the '06 E90 330i Sedan, except for the twin exhaust pipes in the back and some other very minor changes.

The N54 F/I tt engine WILL go into the X5 3.0 (maybe called the X5 3.5i? ) It's just a matter of when...'08 or '09. BMW knows that the current N/A X5 3.0 is underpowered, especially relative to its competitors...the MB ML350, MB R350, Acura MDX (with 300HP engine), Lexus RX350, Audi Q7 3.6L, etc. I just hope they drop in the F/I tt N54 engine sooner rather than later.

for anyone who might have some insight/update on this. I would think someone must know what's going on for MY '08 since it's almost Aug. and the '08's should be getting on the assembly line in the next 2 months for the first arrivals in Oct.

Well, my wife and I test drove a couple of MB SUVs today...the R350 and the GL450.

Let's just say that although it's very roomy inside, the R350 drove like a floaty Buick POS!!! The R350 has horrible blind spots, it drives like crap (floats around like a boat), the brakes aren't that great, it handles like crap and was rough over bumps, it's got very little headroom (my wife is 5'6" and I'm 5'8" tall...and I almost hit the headliner in the back seat) and it does absolutely nothing when you step on the gas (other than whine like a red-headed step-child). I was also not impressed with the lack of quality in that large, ugly minivan/station wagon looking boat. Even my wife agreed that the MB R350 isn't even in the same class as the BMW X5 3.0 as far as driving characteristics are concerned. She just really likes how much more space it has compared with the other SUVs. Anyway, needless to say...the R350 is out for us (and we're not even considering the V8-powered R500).

Then, we test drove the MB GL450...much more power, decent cargo space (although not quite as much as the R350), more upscale look and feel, and better driving characteristics (handled better, smoother over bumps, and with the 335HP V8, it was much more powerful). The only problems with this SUV are similar blind spots as the R350, it has the same ridiculous, non-intuitive short transmission gear stalk behind the steering wheel ..what's that about? , and the high price (fairly loaded with similar options as the X5...it's ~ $69k with a discount off of the $71k MSRP...yikes ). Anyway, we're going to get some numbers from the Fleet Mgr. on an '08 GL450 -- 36-mo./12k mi./yr. lease (MF for the '08 GL450 is ~ 0.0021 - 0.0024), but I have a feeling it's going to be ~ $1,000+/mo. compared with a similarly equipped '08 X5 at ~ $750/mo.

So, now we're most likely down to an '08 X5 or an '08 Acura MDX...the two "smaller" SUVs of our choices...but the two that drive so much better than the overpriced and much overrated MB SUVs. I really don't like MB.

I think if the '08 BMW X5 gets the N54 F/I tt engine, that will seal the deal...for me anyway ; even if it stays with a 3.0 N/A engine, my wife doesn't care and she may opt for the X5 anyway.